psychology
The 4 most important pillars for a meaningful life
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When do we feel our lives are meaningful? These four building blocks can help establish a sense of meaning in our lives.
Striving for happiness as a permanent state does not make us satisfied in the long term. Instead, psychologists see the key to this in something else – namely meaning. SomeStudies were able to demonstrate how a feeling of meaning makes us happier in the long term. Because a sense of purpose can contribute more to us feeling good in our lives than the urge to be desperately happy every second.
But how do we find meaning for our lives? The following four steps can help you find meaning in your life:
The 4 pillars for a meaningful life
1. Find a purpose
It’s good for us as humans to have a job. Something worth getting up for every morning and persevering even on difficult days. What such a purpose can be is as individual as our DNA: for some it makes sense to raise children and show them the world, others want to do something for the community. Still others find a sense of meaning in their work or in exploring the world and new cultures. Knowing yourself and your own values well enough to know what gives your life purpose is an important key to a satisfied life.
2. Find something bigger than you
Many people find comfort and courage in religious or spiritual practices and communities during difficult times. If you can’t do anything with spirituality of any kind, that’s of course perfectly fine. But feeling connected to something bigger than ourselves can contribute to a meaningful life. Whether that’s a religious entity, a group of like-minded people, or a form of self-reflection like meditation, it doesn’t matter.
3. Find a social environment that is good for you
The people we surround ourselves with every day influence us more than we often realize. They can motivate us, inspire us – or even bring us down. We are social creatures, it is hardly possible for us to withdraw from any society. We need other people, and that’s why it’s even more important that we invite people into our lives who are good for us. That make us grow and give us a feeling of security and being loved.
4. Find a healthy perspective on life
At least as important as a purpose and our social environment is how we look at life. If we see the world as a negative place that is out to get us, it becomes more difficult to live a life that we consider meaningful. It also makes no sense to ignore everything bad and only live in your own, supposedly perfect world. Instead, looking at life positively but realistically can make us happier. By remembering that there are good and bad things in the world, that we can influence some things but not others. And that we have a lot to be grateful for – and that gives our lives meaning.
Sources used: hackspirit.com, blogs.scientificamerican.com